Adjustable fulcrum assembly for diving boards and the like



May 23, 1967 E. D. PRETTI 3,321,204

ADJUSTABLE FULCRUM ASSEMBLY FOR DIVING BOARDS AND THE LIKE Filed July18, 1963 2 Sheets-$h eet 1.

l 67 T T1 9.1- if] 4; I F 2 7/ L 9 A5 Z M. /5 INVENTOR.

my EUGENE D. PRETTl' BY J 7 25M HIS ATTORNEYS May 23, 1967 E. D. PRETTIFiled July 18, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [Ullfll I ll I IL HHHH 77 s s: 3:gi wss 5 Eigzi {l 6 l 55 I 6 L/ INVENTOR. EUGENE 0, PRETT/ H/S ATTORNEYSUnited States Patent 3,321,204 ADJUSTABLE FULCRUM ASSEMBLY FOR DIVINGBOARDS AND THE LIKE Eugene D. Pretti, Berkeley, Calif, assignor toJacuzzi Bros, Incorporated, a corporation of California Filed July 18,1963, Ser. No. 296,027 2 Claims. (Cl. 272--66) My invention relates todiving board installations and more particularly to an adjustablefulcrum assembly for a diving board or like device.

Previous designs usually consisted of a rubber covered roller with aball bearing assembly at each end. A shaft passing through thesehearings has a pinion mounted at each end thereof adapted to rest on andin meshing engagement with an associated rack whereby to support thefulcrum roller. Attached to the shaft at least one end thereof, was asort of paddle Wheel which could be rotated by engaging the paddles withones foot, and when rotated, would cause the fulcrum roller to proceedalong its supporting racks, thereby changing its location.

Such fulcrum assembly was subject to malfunction by reason of the ballbearing assemblies being exposed to moist atmospheric conditionsassociated with a swimming pool, and resulting in rusting, whichultimately caused failure of the bearings.

Also, the open exposed condition of the racks and their meshing pinionsencouraged accumulation of dirt and rust thereby bringing about afurther increase in the difiiculty of making adjustments.

The pinion teeth and all bearings in such an installation, were furtherexposed to the full impact of the spring board and its variable loading,thus increasing risk of damage in use.

Among the objects of the present invention are:

(1) To provide a novel and improved adjustable fulcrum assembly fordiving boards and the like;

(2) To provide a novel and improved adjustable fulcrum assembly fordiving boards and the like, which assembly may be economicallymanufactured, and one which will stand up to hard usage;

(3) To provide a novel and improved fulcrum assembly for diving boardsand the like wherein the load is so placed as to minimize possibledamage to component parts thereof;

(4) To provide a novel and improved adjustable fulcrum assembly whichwill function with a minimum of friction, whereby to render manipulationwith ones foot, a simple and convenient operation;

(5) To provide a novel and improved adjustable fulcrum assembly whichminimizes the probability of rust accumulation and thereby avoidproblems attributable thereto; and

(6) To provide a novel and improved adjustable fulcrum assembly whichmay be locked in any of its adjustable positions.

Additional objects of my invention will be brought out in the followingdescription of a preferred embodiment of the same, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a view in elevation of a diving tower and depicting thelocation of the adjustable fulcrum assembly of the present inventiontherein;

FIG. 2 is a view partly in section, transversely of the adjustablefulcrum assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a detail in cross section through an end housing of FIG. 2,taken in a different plane than that depicted in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the adjustable fulcrum assembly of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the same in elevation;

FIG. 6 is a view in section, taken in the plane 6-6 of FIG. 4.

Referring to the drawings for details of the invention in its preferredform, the invention is shown installed in a diving tower 1 involving amain supporting column 3 anchored at its base, in the deck 5 of aswimming pool, and at its upper end, being provided with a platform inthe form of a rectangular plate 7 rigidified by gussets 9.

Adjacent each side edge of the platform is a rail 11 in the form of asection of channel beam 13, resting on one flange 15 and preferablyfacing outwardly, leaving the upper flange 17 as a track, for supportingone end of a fulcrum roller carriage assembly 21. Preferably such upperflange of each rail is provided with a bearing strip 23 to facilitatethe travel of the fulcrum roller carriage assembly along the trails.

The fulcrum roller carriage assembly 21 includes a pair of end housings27, 29 with a pair of parallel spaced bearing roller spindles 31, 33journalled therein, and of a length exceeding the spacing between therails. Bearing rollers 35 carried on such spindles are pinned theretoadjacent the end housings and in position to engage and ride on therails.

A fulcrum roller assembly 41 is cradled in the carriage assembly bysupporting the same at each end on and between the pair of bearingrollers, one end of the fulcrum roller assembly being journalled in oneof the end housings 29, While the other end of the fulcrum rollerassembly terminates in a stub shaft 43 which passes through the otherend housing 27 to receive an adjusting wheel 45.

The fulcrum roller assembly includes a metal cylinder 47 having an endcap 49 at one end, and a corresponding end cap 51 at the opposite endand including a hub from which the stub shaft 43 extends. Between theend caps, the metal cylinder is covered with a layer or covering 57 ofrubber or like material having shock absorbing qualities.

The adjusting wheel 45 is preferably one having a relatively wide rim 61formed with shallow serrations to permit of the application of ones footto rotate the same.

.Such rotation, it will be apparent, will result in correspondingrotation of the fulcrum roller assembly 41, which in turn will frictiondrive the bearing rollers 35 and thereby bring about linear movement ofthe fulcrum roller carriage assembly 21 along the supporting rails 11.

The diving tower is provided with guard railings 67 which extend from apoint slightly to the front of the main supporting column 3, to a pointrearwardly thereof, to join with a mounting ladder 69 of anyconventional design and structure. At a location adjacent the junctionof the guard railings with the mounting ladder, a transverse anchor bar71 is conventionally provided, to which may be anchored the tail end ofa diving board 73, which freely rests, at an intermediate point, on thefulcrum roller assembly 41, and extends sufiiciently over theapproximate edge of the pool, to provide for safe diving into the deepend of the pool. The spring of the board may be adjusted by adjustingthe intermediate fulcrum point provided by the fulcrum roller assembly,and as previously indicated, such adjustment of the fulcrum may beaccomplished very conveniently with ones foot.

In this connection it will be appreciated, that in making adjustments,the fulcrum roller assembly 41 will roll along the bottom surface of thediving board in the same direction as the resulting movement of theroller bearings 35 on the supporting rails 11, and consequently, thefriction will be entirely a rolling friction and no sliding friction,and accordingly will be minimal at all times. Further, the constructionof the adjustable fulcrum assembly is such as to enable it to take allthe shock load normally associated with spring board use, and providesubstantially noise free operation in doing so.

Adjustments of the assembly within its permissible range of adjustment,may be calibrated, and the calibrations indicated on a suitable scale 77alongside one of the channel beam supporting rails and within convenientobservation of the user while making adjustments.

Provision is made for retaining the adjustable fulcrum assembly in anyadjusted position by providing a cap screw or similar element 81 on theinner side of each housing and in line with the proximate upper flangeor bearing strip of the proximate rail for clamping engagement againstsuch upper flange or bearing strip, to frictionally lock the carriageassembly against movement along the supporting rails.

Such clamping may be accomplished by a spindle 83 having a locking knob85 affixed at one end, the spindle passing through both end housings,and at its other end, threadedly engaging a nut 87 affixed to theproximate end housing, whereby, upon turning the locking knob 85, thespindle will thread into or out of the nut, sufficiently to either drawthe end housings together into clamping engagement with the supportingrails, or cause the end housings to move apart out of such clampingengagement, depending on the direction of rotation of the locking knob.

From the foregoing description of my invention in its preferred form, itwill be apparent that the same fulfills all the'objects attributedthereto. While I have illustrated and described the same in itspreferred form and in considerable detail, it will be apparent that thesame is subject to alteration and modification without departing fromthe underlying principles involved, and I accordingly do not desire tobe limited in my protection to the specific details illustrated anddescribed, except as may be necessitated by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An adjustable fulcrum assembly for a diving board comprising a pairof spaced parallel rails,

a fulcrum roller carriage assembly including a pair of end housings,

a pair of parallel spaced bearing rollers spindles of a length adaptedto span said parallel rails,

bearing rollers on said spindles and adapted to ride on said rails,

said spindles being journalled in said end housings,

a fulcrum roller assembly cradled in said carriage assembly and restingon said bearing rollers, with one end of said fulcrum roller assemblyjournalled in one of said end housings and the other end of said fulcrumroller assembly terminating in a stub shaft passing through the otherend housing,

said fulcrum roller assembly including a metal cylinder having an endcap at each end with one of said end caps carrying the stub shaft, and

a covering of friction material about said cylinder,

an adjusting wheel mounted on said stub shaft to permit of rotation ofsaid fulcrum roller assembly to cause movement of said carriage withsaid fulcrum roller assembly along said rails,

and means for locking said carriage assembly in any desired positionalong said rails, said means includmg a locking spindle having a handleon one end and being threaded at its other end,

said locking spindle passing through one end housing and being threadedinto the other whereby said end housings may be drawn toward each otherinto clamping engagement with said rails.

2. An adjustable fulcrum assembly for a diving board comprising a pairof spaced parallel rails,

each of said rails being formed of an outwardly facing channel beam afulcrum roller carriage assembly including a pair of bearing rollers ateach end and adapted to ride on said rails,

a fulcrum roller assembly cradled in said carriage assembly and restingon said bearing rollers, with one end of said fulcrum roller assemblyjournalled in one end of said carriage assembly and the other end ofsaid fulcrum roller assembly terminating in a stub shaft extendingbeyond the other end of said carriage assembly,

adjusting means mounted on said stub shaft to permit of rotation of saidfulcrum roller assembly to cause movement of said carriage assembly withsaid fulcrum roller assembly along said rails,

and means for locking said carriage assembly in any desired positionalong said rails, said means including a locking spindle having a handleon one end and being threaded at its other end,

said locking spindle passing through one end of said carriage assemblyand being threaded into the other end thereof whereby said ends of saidcarriage assembly may be drawn toward each other into clampingengagement with said rails.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,921,664 8/1933Finigan 272-66 2,112,315 3/ 1938 Townsend 272-66 2,812,180 11/1957Cymbal 27266 3,030,108 4/1962 Baker 272-66 3,062,542 11/1962 Evancha27266 X 3,072,401 1/1963 Rude 27266 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, PrimaryExaminer.

A. W. KRAMER, Assistant Examiner.

2. AN ADJUSTABLE FULCRUM ASSEMBLY FOR A DIVING BOARD COMPRISING A PAIROF SPACED PARALLEL RAILS, EACH OF SAID RAILS BEING FORMED OF ANOUTWARDLY FACING CHANNEL BEAM A FULCRUM ROLLER CARRIAGE ASSEMBLYINCLUDING A PAIR OF BEARING ROLLERS AT EACH END AND ADAPTED TO RIDE ONSAID RAILS, A FULCRUM ROLLER ASSEMBLY CRADLED IN SAID CARRIAGE ASSEMBLYAND RESTING ON SAID BEARING ROLLERS, WITH ONE END OF SAID FULCRUM ROLLERASSEMBLY JOURNALLED IN ONE END OF SAID CARRIAGE ASSEMBLY AND THE OTHEREND OF SAID FULCRUM ROLLER ASSEMBLY TERMINATING IN A STUB SHAFTEXTENDING BEYOND THE OTHER END OF SAID CARRIAGE ASSEMBLY, ADJUSTINGMEANS MOUNTED ON SAID STUB SHAFT TO PERMIT OF ROTATION OF SAID FULCRUMROLLER ASSEMBLY TO CAUSE MOVEMENT OF SAID CARRIAGE ASSEMBLY WITH SAIDFULCRUM ROLLER ASSEMBLY ALONG SAID RAILS, AND MEANS FOR LOCKING SAIDCARRIAGE ASSEMBLY IN ANY DESIRED POSITION ALONG SAID RAILS, SAID MEANSINCLUDING A LOCKING SPINDLE HAVING A HANDLE ON ONE END AND BEINGTHREADED AT ITS OTHER END, SAID LOCKING SPINDLE PASSING THROUGH ONE ENDOF SAID CARRIAGE ASSEMBLY AND BEING THREADED INTO THE OTHER END THEREOFWHEREBY SAID ENDS OF SAID CARRIAGE ASSEMBLY MAY BE DRAWN TOWARD EACHOTHER INTO CLAMPING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID RAILS.